Alex Trebek

Game Show Host

Born: 22 July 1940

Birthplace: Ontario, Canada

Best known as:

Host of the TV quiz show Jeopardy!

Name at birth: George Alexander Trebek

Alex Trebek has been hosting the TV quiz show Jeopardy! since 1984. The show was a hit in the 1960s and early 1970s with original host Art Fleming; Trebek joined the show as host on its revival in 1984, and has remained the popular face of the show well into the 21st century. (The show's distinctive format has Trebek delivering answers, with contestants required to give their response in the form of a question.) Earlier in his career, Alex Trebek hosted the game shows Wizard of Odds and High Rollers, among others, and was a newscaster for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). He also has emceed the annual National Geography Bee for students. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2000, and in 2006 he received a maple leaf on Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto.

Extra credit:

Alex Trebek married the former Jean Currivan in 1990. They have a son, Matthew, and a daughter, Emily. In February of 2002 the Cincinnati Enquirer quoted Trebek as saying, "I've got a 10-year-old son and an 8-year-old daughter," meaning the kids were born about 1992 and 1994... Trebek was married once before, to Elaine Callei; People magazine reported that they were "divorced in 1981 after a childless seven-year marriage"... Alex Trebek suffered a mild heart attack in December of 2007; he returned to regular Jeopardy! tapings in January of 2008. He suffered another heart attack in June of 2012, but again pledged to return to the show... Alex Trebek earned a philosophy degree from the University of Ottawa... He founded Creston Farms, a thoroughbred horse facility near the town of Templeton, California... Alex Trebek was host of Jeopardy! during the 75 consecutive appearances of supercontestant Ken Jennings.